Sodium hexametaphosphate

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Sodium hexametaphosphate[1]
Skeletal formula of sodium hexametaphosphate
Names
Other names
Calgon S
Glassy sodium
Graham's salt
Hexasodium metaphosphate
Metaphosphoric acid, hexasodium salt
Identifiers
3D model (JSmol)
Interactive image
ChemSpider
23340 ?
ECHA InfoCard 100.030.299
EC Number 233-343-1
MeSH sodium+polymetaphosphate
PubChem CID
24968
CompTox Dashboard (EPA)
DTXSID1047522 Edit this at Wikidata
InChI[show]
SMILES[show]
Properties
Chemical formula
Na
6P
6O
18
Molar mass 611.7704 g mol-1
Appearance White crystals
Odor odorless
Density 2.484 g/cm3
Melting point 628 �C (1,162 �F; 901 K)
Boiling point 1,500 �C (2,730 �F; 1,770 K)
Solubility in water
soluble
Solubility insoluble in organic solvents
Refractive index (nD)
1.482
Hazards
Main hazards Irritant
Safety data sheet hazard.com
S-phrases (outdated) S24/25
Lethal dose or concentration (LD, LC):
LD50 (median dose)
3.053 g kg-1
Related compounds
Other anions
Trisodium phosphate
Tetrasodium pyrophosphate
Pentasodium triphosphate
Related compounds
Sodium trimetaphosphate
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state
(at 25 �C [77 �F], 100 kPa).
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Infobox references
Sodium hexametaphosphate (SHMP) is a hexamer of composition (NaPO3)6.[2] Sodium
hexametaphosphate of commerce is typically a mixture of polymeric metaphosphates,
of which the hexamer is one, and is usually the compound referred to by this name.
It is more correctly termed sodium polymetaphosphate.

Contents
1 Uses
1.1 Food additive
2 Preparation
3 Reactions
4 History
5 References
6 External links
Uses
SHMP is used as a sequestrant and has applications within a wide variety of
industries, including as a food additive in which it is used under the E number
E452i. Sodium carbonate is sometimes added to SHMP to raise the pH to 8.0�8.6,
which produces a number of SHMP products used for water softening and detergents.

A significant use for sodium hexametaphosphate is as a deflocculant in the

production of clay-based ceramic particles.[3][4][5][6] It is also used as a
dispersing agent to break down clay and other soil types for soil texture
assessment.[7]

It is used as an active ingredient in toothpastes as an anti-staining and tartar

prevention ingredient.[8]

Food additive
As a food additive, SHMP is used as an emulsifier. Artificial maple syrup, canned
milk, cheese powders and dips, imitation cheese, whipped topping, packaged egg
whites, roast beef, fish fillets, fruit jelly, frozen desserts, salad dressing,
herring, breakfast cereal, ice cream, beer, and bottled beverages, among other
foods, can contain SHMP.[9][10][11]

Preparation
SHMP is prepared by heating monosodium orthophosphate to generate sodium acid
pyrophosphate:

2 NaH2PO4 ? Na2H2P2O7 + H2O

Subsequently, the pyrophosphate is heated to give the corresponding sodium
hexametaphosphate:

3 Na2H2P2O7 ? (NaPO3)6 + 3 H2O

followed by rapid cooling.

Reactions
SHMP hydrolyzes in aqueous solution, particularly under acidic conditions, to
sodium trimetaphosphate and sodium orthophosphate.[12]

History
Hexametaphosphoric acid was named (but misidentified) in 1849 by the German chemist
Theodor Fleitmann (1828�1904).[13][14] By 1956, chromatographic analysis of
hydrolysates of Graham's salt (sodium polyphosphate) indicated the presence of
cyclic anions containing more than four phosphate groups;[15] these findings were
confirmed in 1961.[16] In 1963, the German chemists Erich Thilo and Ulrich Sch�lke
succeeded in preparing sodium hexametaphosphate by heating anhydrous sodium
trimetaphosphate.[17]